Speaking at the Atlantic’s “First Draft of History” symposium in Washington today (liveblog here), John McCain campaign adviser Steve Schmidt continued his complete reversal on Sarah Palin’s political future. The man who pushed McCain to nominate Palin as his running mate in 2008 and defended her against criticisms of her inexperience now believes that she could never win a presidential election.

“Most politicians of prominence write a book,” Schmidt said, a reference to Palin’s upcoming “Going Rogue.” “My honest view is that she would not be a winning candidate for president, and if she was [a candidate], the results would be . . . catastrophic. It’s fairly inconceivable she could be elected.”

First, I find it frankly unbelievable that Schmidt ever “pushed McCain to nominate Palin as his running mate in 2008 and defended her against criticisms of her inexperience.” It sounds more like Monday morning quarterbacking to justify his “sudden” negativity towards the best thing that’s happened to the Republican ticket since Teddy Roosevelt.

Kind of like all those “I’ve-been-a-Republican-all-my-life” people who endorsed Obama last year, if you catch my drift; many of who were later outed to have been Democrap operatives.

So why the sudden Palin-spew? Fox & Friends reports this morning that the McCain Camp is touting a new plan to “Rebuild the republican Party.”

So, apparently John’s running again in 2012. Big Deal. Wasn’t impressed last time; but if John McCain wants to become the RepublicanPat Paulsen, that’s his business.